No peace at Congress Hotel

Striking workers, management remain divided

Striking Congress Plaza Hotel workers are trying to spotlight their plight by drawing attention to what they say is a sad state of disrepair and a growing number of customer complaints about the vintage Michigan Avenue hotel.

Representatives from Local 1 of the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees (HERE) union say they're prepared to give testimony to the City Council's Finance Committee, chaired by 14th Ward Ald. Edward Burke, about allegedly poor conditions at the hotel and how that is giving a black eye to Chicago's image as a convention and tourism destination.

A spokesman for Ald. Burke said a resolution seeking a public hearing on the hotel's conditions is on the agenda for the committee's meeting next Tuesday. He declined to comment further.

The union represents about 100 housekeepers, cooks and other service employees who have been on strike since May, when Congress Hotel management presented its final contract offer. The proposal fell short of wage and benefit levels sought by the union, which wants those workers to get a pact that is on par with some of Chicago's largest hotels.

Striking workers have been picketing the hotel, at 520 S. Michigan Ave., for months but no progress has been made in negotiations. The union hopes that presenting customer complaints about service and conditions at the hotel will turn up the heat on management and get them back to the bargaining table.

The union will try to elevate its message by arguing Congress Hotel's reportedly poor conditions are hurting Chicago's reputation with visiting tourists and convention-goers. Because the hotel handles guest overflow from Chicago conventions, "what customers experience there affects their impression of Chicago," said HERE spokeswoman Clare Faulke.

Ms. Faulke conceded it's a bit of stretch to link the labor dispute to the city's standing as a convention town, but says the union does believe there is a strong connection between the strike and allegedly deteriorating conditions at the hotel.

The union has been actively soliciting hotel customers for feedback about their experience with the hotel.Hotel management is skeptical about the legitimacy of the complaints.

"The hearing is generally about the scores of complaints we think are result of ongoing strike," Ms. Faulke said. "We see a link to the strike on issues related to cleanliness, food and customer service" at the hotel.

The city "should take responsibility for investigating violations," she said, noting that's the reason why the union is trying to get its message before the City Council.

"The hotel is not in violation and we have no problems," countered Shlomo Nahmias, president of the Congress Hotel. He says he doesn't plan to attend next week's finance committee hearing.

Ald. "Burke is a good friend of ours," he said. "There is no reason for me to attend. Whenever (a city) inspector comes by here, we are cooperative."

Peter Andjelkovich, an attorney for Mr. Nahmias and chief negotiator for the hotel, claims the union is just playing dirty.

"We acknowledge it's an old hotel and there are always ongoing maintenance issues," he said. "But that clearly has no relationship at all" to the labor dispute.

Since May, neither side has approached the other to try to work out a deal and the parties appear prepared to stand their ground. The union and the hotel both have filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing each other of unfair treatment.

Meanwhile, the striking workers are prepared to continue picketing outside the hotel during the long, cold winter. "We're getting ready for the winter, ordering our long underwear," Ms. Faulke said.